Harry Potter Big Bang - Fic - Sink Or Swim - H/D [R] PART ONE of two

[alovelycupoftea]

Title: Sink Or Swim
Author: alovelycupoftea
Artist: citrus_lime
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Harry/Draco.
Word Count: ~17,000 words.
Beta: nursedarry
Warnings Sexual content, strong language.
Summary: When Harry is confined to desk duty with magical exhaustion and Draco for bending the rules one time too many, Shacklebolt gets fed up of them cluttering up the Auror office. Instead he enters them in the swimming races at the Wizarding Olympics, a sports event planned to celebrate the opening of Hogwarts’ new Sports Centre. Harry’s a swimming teacher after all - surely it’s the perfect solution?
Will Harry and Draco be able to cope with training together every day for two months without killing each other? Will Kingsley do it for them if they don’t win the races? It’s time to sink or swim...

Notes: The premise from this story was taken from an unclaimed prompt from hd_smoochfest 2009, which the mods released into the wild after the fest ended.
Thank you to Darry for the beta, my cheerleader and and citrus_lime for the awesome art!! The art is also all posted here.



Harry span round in his desk chair feeling glum. And slightly dizzy. He grabbed onto the front of his desk to stop himself and stared round his office. Everything was in its place. There was no stack of reports to be written wobbling precariously on top of his in-tray. His plants were fed and watered. He’d sharpened all his quills and refilled his ink pot. His supply of biros, which he kept for days when he was fed up of having ink all over his hands, were all in his pen pot, a rather grotesque mug that Seamus had given him that proclaimed that ‘Gryffindors Do It On All Fours’. It had taken him an entire morning to stop the bloody thing from roaring like a lion whenever anyone picked it up. He snorted. Typical Seamus, giving him a mug with a lewd slogan to commemorate his coming out.



Harry spun round one hundred and eighty degrees in his chair. His collection of certificates was newly hung on his wall. His calendar had been colour-coded and all engagements filled in. Teddy’s pictures were framed as carefully as his certificates and covered more wall space.

He spun another one hundred and eighty degrees and took out the box of paperclips from his neatly arranged stationery drawer. He selected all the red ones and set them to dancing round in a circle. Next, the green ones became a concentric circle outside the red ones, and they too started dancing. He was just about to charm the yellow ones when Kingsley’s voice boomed out from the intercom.

Harry dropped his wand and the paperclips fell to the desk, as if exhausted. He guiltily put his wand back in its sleeve holster, feeling caught out.

"Potter. My office. Two minutes."

Harry sighed. Since Kingsley had become head of the Auror Corps, he had instituted all sorts of Muggle communication devices. The paper memos flying around that Harry remembered from his first ever visit to the Ministry still existed, but Kingsley much preferred using his intercom.

Harry tidied away his paperclips and headed to the Chief Auror’s office. He sat down on a distinctly uncomfortable chair, waiting to be called in.

Shacklebolt opened the door just far enough to stick his head round. "Potter. In you come."

Harry followed him into the office and sat when gestured at. Sitting in the chair next to Harry’s in front of Kingsley’s desk looking simultaneously chagrined and mutinous was Draco Malfoy.

There was no time to wonder what was happening before Kingsley began to speak.

"You two. I despair. Seriously. My two best Aurors, and both of you," here Kingsley slammed his fist down on the desk for emphasis, "are on desk duty. You," he pointed at Malfoy, "cannot keep being so... underhanded... in your dealings with suspects. There is this thing called entrapment, and your inability to follow procedure very nearly ruined that case." Harry was surprised. He’d always heard that Malfoy was inclined to bend the rules, but never to the point of jeopardising a case. "And you," now the finger was pointed at him, "have completely exhausted yourself by working too hard and all the Healers will say is that time and rest will bring your magic levels back to normal. And I have had enough!"

Kingsley paused for breath and took a long slurp of coffee from his mug. Harry noticed it was a very nice pottery one. He didn’t have mugs with stupid slogans on them. He then rooted about in a stack of papers.

"Fortunately for all of us, I have a project for you two. A project that does not involve doing any magic or any unnecessary rule-breaking." He paused and looked at Harry. "I hope you have not been using magic frivolously, Potter?" Harry hoped he didn’t blush.

"Of course not, Sir." He didn’t dare look anywhere but straight ahead, but in the periphery of his vision it looked like Draco was suppressing a smile.

"Good. Anyway, as you both know Hogwarts has been constructing a new sports centre to open on the tenth anniversary of the Battle. They are also hosting a grand event to celebrate the opening, a sort of Wizarding Olympics." Harry was sure he heard a tiny groan escape from Malfoy, but when he sneaked a glance to the side, Malfoy’s face was politely interested. "All sorts of Ministry departments and businesses will be entering teams to the various contests. You will be representing the Aurors in the swimming contest."

Harry opened his mouth as if to speak. Kingsley glared and he shut it.

"This is non-negotiable. The proceeds of this event and the Gala Dinner on the Saturday night are split between the Hogwarts Bursary fund and other charities, including the children’s home. The Auror department will be there to show our support. And we will not be beaten by the staff of the Daily Prophet or whoever else enters."

Harry once again opened his mouth. Kingsley glared and he shut it again.

"I have the details here." He thrust the parchment in front of Harry. He had no choice but to take it. "The events have yet to be finalised, but you two will be entering the swimming races."

Harry opened his mouth. "What, Potter?" Kingsley glared. "You’re driving me and the rest of the Auror department mad being stuck on desk duty. I don’t even want to look at Malfoy at the moment. And you are, after all, a swimming coach, are you not?"

"Er, yes." Harry didn’t think anything more than short direct answers would be appropriate.

"Right. So as of this minute you are on this assignment until the tournament in two month’s time. I do not want to see anything of either of you until I see you winning the races and I do not want to receive anything from either of you other than the invoices for the cost of hiring a pool to train in. Is that clear? Potter?"

"Clear, Sir."

"Malfoy?"

"Clear, Sir."

"Right. Now, go away."



~*~

Harry followed Malfoy out of Kingsley’s office. They walked through the waiting area and Harry noticed how Kingsley’s assistant followed Malfoy’s figure out with her gaze. He frowned.

Malfoy walked down the corridor and stopped outside the door to his shared office. He turned round and looked at Harry.

"So, er, I’ll book a pool, shall I?" Malfoy just nodded, his mouth set in a tight line. "I’ll owl you with the details." Malfoy nodded again. "Start on Monday?"

"See you then, Potter." Malfoy entered his office and shut the door in his face.

"Great. See you then." Harry echoed.

~*~

Harry stepped out the Floo into his living room with his personal items off his desk. He’d reset the charms on Seamus’s mug and left it on his desk, just in case Kingsley moved anyone else into his office. Petty, he knew, but somewhat satisfying. Wandering into his study, he dropped his armful on to the wooden desk and searched the filing cabinet for the file marked ‘UCH, Swimming.’

Picking up the phone, he dialled the number on the page.

"Hi, Darren? It’s Harry Potter here, from the Unity Children’s Home? Hi. Yes, I was wondering whether there was any chance we could rent the pool every morning instead of just Wednesdays and Fridays?" Harry reached for a clean sheet of paper from the drawer. "That is great. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 8am till 10am and Wednesdays and Fridays 8am till noon. Brilliant." Harry scribbled it down. "Yes, please send the invoices to me as usual. Great. Cheers, Darren."

Harry put the receiver down and grinned. That was easier than he thought it would be. He had expected the school to be booked out. He’d been searching for a place to take the children swimming several years ago. The management committee had rejected the Muggle public baths as too exposed and risky should any accidental magic occur. Harry had nearly given up on the idea when a friend of his then-boyfriend had said the private school he worked at only used their pool in the afternoon and were looking to not only rent it out in the mornings, but also try and ensure they kept their charity status by contributing to the community. Letting a children’s home have it for a nominal fee fulfilled everyone’s requirements.

Harry felt a slight pang of conscience about using the name of the children’s home to book the pool when it wasn’t the kids who would be using it. He pushed the feeling away. Training in a public pool would be irritating and the children’s home were getting a donation from the stupid sports competition anyway.

He sealed up the note he’d written and called for his owl. A large tawny owl flew in from the living room. "Hello, Achilles. Draco Malfoy, please?" The owl hooted and held out its foot for the note. Once attached, he flew off.

Looking up at the clock, Harry decided to go and make a cup of tea. It was eleven o'clock, after all. He turned the kettle on and sighed. All his friends were at work and he had literally nothing to do. The weeks of desk duty and trying not to use magic had meant that the resulting boredom left his flat clean and all his chores done. He supposed he could read a book, or go for a walk or something. His thoughts kept coming back to one, though - that he had to spend the next two months in close proximity to Malfoy. Close proximity to a wet, pretty much naked Malfoy. He sighed again and made a pot of tea.

~*~

Harry viciously increased the pace of the treadmill. He could not believe Shacklebolt had given them this ridiculous task as an assignment. He and Malfoy had surprised everyone by reaching a level of civility during Auror training, and had maintained it by never being paired on a case together.



But now? Now they were going to have to spend several hours together every morning. Almost naked. And Malfoy was an Adonis. A gorgeous specimen of manhood and the star of Harry’s wanking fantasies. The intense physical element of Auror training had turned the scrawny boy into a muscled man. Either their civility was going to crack and they would return to insults and taunting, or Harry was going to pounce on him. And neither of those options would go down well with Kingsley. Harry upped the pace again and aimed for that place where the only the thought he could concentrate on was just how much his legs burned.

Harry sat on a bench in the gym’s changing room, his towel wrapped around his waist. His limbs felt floppy and wobbly and he didn’t know if he had the energy to get dressed.



His strategy had worked, though. He’d not thought about Malfoy for most of his work-out. The Saturday morning crowds were streaming into the locker room now though, and he was glad he had gone early before the rush. Unfortunately it meant he had almost an entire day to fill and not obsess about the coming Monday.

~*~

That afternoon he went to the children’s home. He tried to visit once a week and chat with the staff or help out with the kids. It was a converted house and it had been deliberately designed to be more like a big family home than an institution. It was in a cheerful suburb of London, within walking distance of a park and had a huge garden. Only a small brass plaque above the doorbell that read ‘Unity Children’s’ Home’ indicated it was anything other than an affluent family house.

The housekeeper, known affectionately as Mrs D to all, opened the door to him with a wide smile. She pointed him in the direction of the activities room before bustling back to her kitchen. Harry hung his coat up on the hook with everyone else’s and rolled up his sleeves, ready to get involved with whatever was going on.

Pushing open the door to the activities room he was amazed to see all the children sitting round the art table, as quiet as he’d ever seen them and obviously concentrating hard. He slipped in, trying not to disturb them, and sat down next to the house-mother on duty, a pleasant-looking middle-aged lady called Joanna.

"Harry, hi! Good to see you!" She smiled at him.

"Hi Joanna. How’s it going today? What on earth have you got them doing that’s keeping them so quiet?" The normally bustling activity room was broken only by requests to pass felt-tip pens.

"Oh, we’ve had an exciting day! We had a bloke from the Daily Prophet in earlier talking about how they design their adverts. They’ve asked the children to design a poster advertising the Wizarding Olympics and the winning one will run in the paper alongside the call for teams. Isn’t that fun?" Joanna’s face was open and delighted.

"Fun." Harry echoed, only slightly sarcastically. "What is the Wizarding Olympics thing? I’ve not heard about it before." Was that all anyone could talk about at the moment?

She tutted. "Of course you have. We talked about it in the Trustee meeting." Joanna was one of the staff members of the Trustee board. "Hogwarts is putting it on to celebrate the official opening of their new sports centre in the autumn. People from the Ministry are involved in the organising, and there are all sorts of team events. It all finishes with a fundraising Gala Dinner and Medal Ceremony in the Great Hall. A quarter of the profit is coming here, you know, and half to the Hogwarts Bursary fund, which a lot of these kids will be eligible for. We’re thinking of fielding a staff team. And of course, we’ll take the kids for the day out." She looked at him speculatively. "You swim, don’t you Harry? Why don’t you enter?"

Harry put his head in his hands and groaned. "I’ve been entered already. In the swimming contests. Representing the Aurors."

"How fun!" One of the children called for Joanna. "Oh, excuse me, Harry." She headed over to the art table.

How fun! Harry mimicked in his head. He tried to push it out of his mind and spend time with the kids, but they all wanted advice on their posters. He had placated several children worried about their drawings and helped one design a logo by the time the dinner bell rang. He had never been so relieved to end a visit before.

~*~

Harry drank greedily from the pint glass Seamus put in front of him. He looked round the table, pleased to be among friends. Once a month, he and the other boys from his dorm got together for a lads night out. They always went into Muggle London where they were just another group of blokes.

"Still on desk duty, mate?" Harry set down his pint and looked up at Dean.

"No." Harry frowned. "Kingsley’s given me a new assignment. Said he was fed up of me cluttering up the office."

"Oh?" The rest of the table turned to listen.

"Yeah. You know this Wizarding Olympics thing?"

"To celebrate the opening of our new sports centre? Yeah. I got strong-armed into helping organise it." When Neville had come back from studying plants somewhere in the jungle, (Harry could never remember exactly where), he had replaced Professor Sprout at Hogwarts.

Harry nodded. "Shacklebolt is making me represent the Aurors in the swimming contest. I’ve got to spend the next two months training. He’s determined not to be beaten."

Neville frowned. "I thought the swimming competitions were all team events? I’m fairly sure we decided it should be teams of two."

Harry grinned, humourlessly. "Ah, this is where it gets better. I have a partner."

"Yeah?" Seamus looked more interested. "Anyone exciting?"

"It’s Malfoy." Harry drained the rest of his pint. Everyone else laughed.

"You two have to train together for two months?" Seamus could barely keep the laugh out of his voice.

"Come on, guys, be fair." Dean’s voice was calm. "He’s turned out into a decent bloke. I thought you said he was alright when you worked with him, Ron."

Ron nodded. "He is. Bloody good Auror, too."

Seamus nodded. "Not disagreeing. He’s not the little git he was at school, that’s true. But come on. Harry and Malfoy? Two months? I mean... it’s Harry and Malfoy!"

Everyone except Harry laughed. Even Dean chuckled. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled. "Thanks for your support, guys. Although, I suppose, if we maim one another we might not have to participate." He considered this seriously for a moment.

Ron snorted. "If you maim each other, Kingsley will finish the job."



Neville got up to get the next round. When he’d come back from the bar, and the chuckles had subsided - apart from Seamus’s occasional snort - he asked, "Why did you train as a swimming coach, Harry? I’ve never asked."

Harry took a gulp of his second pint. "Well, I joined a gym when I signed up for Auror training. I knew the physical element was pretty tough. I had an initial consultation, you know, where they test you and suggest a regime and stuff? The trainer said I should try and mix swimming in with the gym sessions. I did that, but I got frustrated when I could never get above a certain speed. And then I met Tim in the pool one day, who did swimming lessons there, and he offered to give me master classes on my technique. And, well, as you know, Tim ended up giving me all sorts of lessons." This was greeted by a lewd smirk from Seamus and nods from the rest of the table. Harry smiled. He could smile about it now, a year or so on. "Anyway, I got hooked. I was fascinated by how, through understanding the mechanics of the strokes, you could go from being a mediocre swimmer to a good one. Tim gave me details of a teaching course and I went on it so I could take the kids from the children’s’ home. And that was that, really. If I’d’ve known I would end up coaching Malfoy, then maybe I wouldn’t have!"

They all laughed. "Come on, Harry." Dean tried to be encouraging. "How bad can it be? You have two months off work and all you have to do is practice for a couple of races."

He nodded. "You’re right. I mean, I don’t know what the races are yet, but surely there’s only going to be a couple, right? How bad can it be?"

~*~

"This is bad. This is very, very bad."

"Relax, Draco." Blaise put a pint in front of him and sat down opposite. "It’s going to be fine. Swim for a couple of hours, and in two months it’s all over. Think of it as a two month holiday where you are exercising."

"I already exercise." Draco took a sulky swallow of his pint.



"Well, then, it’s just a two month holiday, isn’t it? And besides, I thought you and Potter got along. And no more ridiculous hours and chasing bad guys and whatever else it is you do all day. I think it sounds good." Blaise tried to be reassuring.

"We do get along. Our getting along is based entirely on us never exchanging more than civilities. It is not based on spending time together." Draco frowned.

"Alright. Fine." Blaise took a fortifying swig of his drink. "Which is worse? Getting fired, or working with Potter?"

Draco considered this. "I don’t know."

"Yes you do. You like being an Auror." This was said very patiently.

"Yes. Fine. I do like being an Auror. And now I would like you to get me very drunk and entertain me with stories of your ridiculous gadding about with girls." Draco drained his pint as if to confirm his intention of getting horribly drunk.

~*~

Draco groaned as he dragged himself out of bed. Blaise had indeed followed his instructions and he had the hangover to prove it. His doorbell rang again. "I’m coming!" he grumbled and stumbled towards the door.

He opened it to find a grinning Pansy standing on his doorstep. He opened the door wider and walked to the kitchen. She followed him and watched as he made a pot of coffee. It wasn’t until he had handed her a mug, and taken a drink from his own, that he spoke. "What are you doing here, Pans?"

She smiled. "Now, now, just because you’ve got a hangover doesn’t mean you should be mean to me." He glared. "Alright, fine. I brought you a present." She pulled a carrier bag out of her voluminous handbag and handed it over.

He took it gingerly. It was very little and felt squishy. Putting his hand in the bag, he felt something made of shiny fabric. He pulled out a pair of what looked like black pants. He held them up. A little logo on the back said Speedo.

"I heard you might need them, darling." Her face was entirely too innocent.

Draco held them up, appalled. "They’re tiny!"

"They’re Speedos, darling. Everyone wears them." Draco said nothing. He put his fingers in the elasticated waistband and flicked them at her head.

Pansy just laughed.

~*~

Harry stood outside the shiny glass doors with his gym bag slung over his shoulder. At eight o’clock precisely he saw Malfoy walking round the corner. He smiled. "Morning." Draco just nodded. Harry opened the door, and then locked it behind them. "The changing rooms are just through here."

He led them into the spacious tiled changing room. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yes." Draco’s response was muffled by him pulling his jumper over his head. "Thank you. Did you?"

"Yeah. You know, normal." Harry efficiently stripped down to his boxers, hanging his clothes on a peg. He turned to find his trunks in his gym bag, and quickly slipped them on. He wasn’t usually self-conscious about changing in front of other men, but this was Malfoy. When he turned around, holding his towel, he saw Malfoy standing in front of the bench wearing only the tiniest Speedos Harry had ever seen. He closed his eyes and tried not to gape and turned to the door through to the pool. This was going to be a disaster, he thought.





"You ready?" He led the way into the pool without turning back.

The changing rooms opened up on to the longest side of the pool. It was quite small, only 20 metres long and 10 metres wide. Harry threw his towel onto one of the benches that lined the side and walked towards the deep end. "Get in and warm up, yeah? Then we’ll get started." He didn’t wait for Malfoy to reply, but hopped up onto one of the diving blocks and dived in. The feeling of the first dive in was like no other, Harry thought. Blissful and exhilarating all at once.

As soon as he surfaced, Harry started swimming his powerful crawl. It was easily his fastest stroke and his favourite too. He loved being able to feel the pull of the water on his biceps. He paused at the shallow end, intending to turn straight round and do a couple more lengths when he saw Malfoy standing on the side, shifting from foot to foot as if uncomfortable.

"What’s the matter? Get in; we’ve only got till ten." Malfoy didn’t move, just kept fidgeting.

"Is it clean?" Malfoy’s voice was quiet.

"Of course it’s clean. People wouldn’t be able to swim in it if it wasn’t." Harry started to turn, but stopped when Malfoy didn’t move.

"Is it cold?" Malfoy took a step towards the edge.

"Er." Harry pushed his wet hair out of his eyes. "Not really. It’s normal temperature. ‘Bout twenty-four degrees, I think."

"Oh."

Malfoy took another step towards the water. Harry looked at him, bemused, then pushed off for another few lengths. By the time Harry had swum to the deep end and back, Malfoy was sitting down on the edge of the pool in the shallow end with his legs in the water. Harry stood up, and wiped water from his eyes. Something was wrong here. Although Malfoy’s legs were in the water, he was leaning back, as if trying to stay away from the pool. His posture reminded Harry of beginners he had taught who were scared of the water.

Harry tried to make his voice gentle. "What’s the matter, Draco?"

"Nothing." Malfoy’s voice had the hint of a sulk in it.

"Get in the pool, then." Harry folded his arms over his chest. His top half was beginning to get cold out of the water.

Draco lifted his legs so his feet were resting on the bar and dropped his head on to his knees. He mumbled something.



"Sorry?" Harry couldn’t hear what he was saying, his mouth muffled by his knees.

Malfoy lifted his face up, but he didn’t look at Harry. "I said, I can’t swim, alright?" He blushed, vividly.

Harry stared. This had to be a joke. What had he done in a past life to deserve this? He had said this was going to be a disaster and no-one had believed him. But he was right. He had to enter a swimming competition with a partner who couldn’t swim and if they lost, the Aurors would be a laughing stock, and Kingsley would have kittens and it would not end well.

He opened his mouth, fully expecting to vocalise one of these thoughts. What actually came out was, "Okay."

"Okay?" Malfoy raised his voice "Okay?! This is a disaster! Shacklebolt will be apoplectic when he finds out. And then he’ll fire me and I will be jobless and it will be a disaster!"

"Okay." Harry realised he had switched into calm, patient swimming-teacher mode without conscious thought. "So we won’t tell him, and we’ll teach you to swim, and it will all be fine." Inside he was agreeing with Malfoy. This was a complete disaster. Two months. He had two months to get Malfoy from a non-swimmer to racing. Disaster didn’t even really begin to cover the scope of the terribleness of this situation.

"You’re insane." Malfoy finally looked at Harry. "You’re going to teach me to swim?"

Harry nodded. "Well, I am a swimming teacher, so that sounds reasonable."

"No need to be cute, Potter." he snapped.

"I’m not." Harry sighed. "Do you have another suggestion?"

Malfoy frowned. "No", he admitted.

"Well then." Harry waded to the side and pushed himself out. Going over to the store cupboard, he opened it up and rummaged around. He emerged with a couple foam tubes, sometimes known as woggles, and some floats. Putting them down on the side, he slipped back into the water.

"Alright." He stood facing Draco. "Are you scared of water? Any problems with it going in your face?"

"I’m a grown man, Potter, not a kid." Malfoy snapped, "No, I’m not scared of water. I just happen to have never learnt to swim."

Harry swallowed his retort. "Okay. In you get then." Malfoy looked from side to side. "Just slide in. You’re taller than me so it won’t even come up to your waist."

Draco slid in the water, and as Harry said, it didn’t even come up to the top of his trunks. Harry didn’t look at his abs, and instead grabbed the woggles he’d put on the side.

"Seeing as you’re a grown man, I’m going to explain what we’re doing as I go along. I firmly believe that knowing what you’re trying to do makes it easier to actually do it. So, have a woggle." Harry handed a long coloured tube of foam to him.

Draco raised an eyebrow and gingerly took the end of the woggle. "Overcompensating much, Potter?"

Harry just winked and reached for his own woggle. He was not going to let Draco distract him with snarking. "The first thing we have to learn is body position, and we’re going to start on our front. Essentially, it’s about being flat in the water. So, put your woggle under your waist like this," Harry slid his woggle round so the ends were behind him, "and lie down." He demonstrated. "The woggle is there to help you - if you tense up your muscles then it makes it harder to float, although we are naturally buoyant."

Malfoy turned his woggle round like Harry and held it by his waist. He watched as Harry lay down in the water, his belly supported by the foam sausage. He frowned, and bent his knees then leaned forward in the water. He bent at the waist, but kept his feet firmly on the floor. Harry stood up, and watched as Draco refused to pick his feet up from the bottom of the pool.

"Okay." Harry reached for some floats from the side. "The first time, it’s just about being brave. Nothing will happen. You will float. But here," Harry held out four floats. "Put two of these under each hand." Draco splayed his hands on top of the floats. "Ok, now, chin on the water." Harry abandoned his woggle and stood in between Malfoy’s outstretched hands. Draco put his head down so his chin was on the surface of the water. He looked very bizarre - like he was folded in the middle. "Now just let your feet float up. I’m right here." Draco frowned again but his legs did not move from the bottom. "Be brave, Draco."

Harry didn’t let his amusement show on his face as it was that exhortation that got Draco to very slowly and cautiously lift one foot from the floor. When his expression showed that he felt comfortable that nothing was going to happen, he lifted the other one. Harry smiled. "Fantastic!" He had had visions of them spending weeks on the basics, but Draco seemed like he was going to follow his instructions. "That’s the basic body position, lying flat in the water like a pancake."

Draco lifted his head, and his bottom tilted down slightly, but he continued to float supported by the floats and woggles. "Flat in the water like a pancake? Are you serious, Potter?"

Harry chuckled, embarrassed. "I’m sorry. I normally teach kids. These things just slip out automatically." He ran a hand through his hair. "What would you like to be flat in the water like then, seeing as you object to pancakes?"

"Something regal, I should imagine. A water lily, perhaps." How Malfoy managed to look superior in a pair of Speedos, balancing on a bright red foam sausage Harry would never know, but yet he did.

Harry bit his lip. "Right. Flat in the water like a water lily. Absolutely." Harry had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from laughing. "So, in that position, you now have to kick your legs and you’ll start to move." Malfoy bent one leg at the knee and brought his foot up towards the ceiling, before splashing it back down in the water. Harry held his hands up to signal to him to stop. "The crucial thing is never, ever bend your knees in this kick. The kick comes from your hips. Your legs must remain straight."

Harry moved so he was standing by Malfoy’s side. He watched Malfoy tense his legs then bring each one slowly down towards the bottom of the pool, then back up to the surface. He didn’t bend his knees this time, and Harry watched his bottom jiggle up and down with each kick. He sighed.

"Okay. Watch me. Your kicks need to be little and fast, not big and slow." Harry grabbed another float and swam past Malfoy, being careful not to splash too much so the other man could see what he was doing with his legs. He stood up. "Your legs don’t move much more than about a foot. Your legs are straight, but not tense and your ankles are relaxed so your feet move with the kick. Try again."

Again Malfoy kicked his legs slowly towards the bottom of the pool. His whole body was tense and his hands gripped the floats they were resting on. Harry watched. He hated teaching the basics - when Malfoy had done it once it would just feel right and he would find it hard to do it wrong again. Until then, however, Harry just had to keep rephrasing his instructions until something clicked.

"Right. Okay. Turn round and hold the bar instead of your floats." Malfoy stood up and walked over to the bar and grabbed on. "Now, lying down in the water again, like a water lily, kick your legs so you make a splash." Malfoy continued with his slow kicks down to the bottom of the pool. "Right. Straighten your arms and lock your elbows." Malfoy did, his knuckles white on the bar. "Now let your legs float up." His whole body was tense. "You need to relax. Nothing’s going to happen. Just imagine you’re lying on a lovely squishy sofa or something. I’m right here."

"That is not terribly reassuring, Potter. Trouble seems to follow you around." Nevertheless, Malfoy’s grip on the bar loosened a little, and his legs began to float up.

Harry ignored Malfoy’s comment. "That’s it." His heels reached the surface of the water. "Now without tensing your legs, kick them up towards the ceiling to break the surface of the water and make a splash." Harry watched as his long supple legs began to kick and splash. "That’s it!" He had to raise his voice to be heard over the noise. "Okay, okay, you can stop. That’s it! How did it feel?"

"How did it feel? Sort of splashy." Malfoy didn’t let his legs drop, but kept floating on his front.

"Splashy, huh? What I mean, is that it’s like getting the wand movement right for your first spell. It just feels right, and it’s really hard to go back to doing it wrong." Draco nodded but didn’t speak.

"Okay. Holding one of your floats with two hands at the bottom, it’s time to start moving." Draco turned round and held onto the float Harry was holding out. Harry kept hold of the top of the float and started walking backwards, pulling Draco along. "Now kick your legs." Slowly, Draco began moving through the water. Harry let go of the float. "Keep kicking. Little fast kicks." Draco was frowning in concentration.

He stopped and stood up. "Why aren’t I moving, Potter?"

Harry sighed. "You are moving. Just slowly. Relax your ankles. Your toes should be pointed but your feet floppy so they move up and down with the kick."

Malfoy pouted and pushed his woggle away. "It feels funny with that under my stomach. Like it’s impeding me."

"Well, we can get rid of it if you like. But you have to kick your legs to stop your belly and bum from sinking, and if you tense up, you’ll make it harder." Malfoy nodded before leaning forward in the water and lifting his legs up. "That’s it. Now kick." Malfoy started kicking. "Faster." The lower half of his body started to sink in the water, and his kicks got deeper. Harry put a hand under his stomach. His skin was warm under his touch, and his muscles hard. Harry tried not to concentrate on how it felt, but just on keeping Draco’s body in the right position. "Keep kicking." Malfoy had swum several metres towards the deep end, and the water was now up to Harry’s shoulders where he was walking next to him. Harry moved his hand from Draco’s stomach and started swimming himself. "Keep going!"

Draco turned his head when Harry moved his hand. "Don’t look at me. Look where you’re going. Keep kicking." Harry swam alongside him in a gentle sidestroke so he was near enough to help if needed.

Malfoy’s smile, when they reached the other end of the pool, made Harry’s stomach flip. "I did it!"

"You really did. Ready to go back?" Malfoy nodded, and pushed off with his feet.

They had swum up and down the pool several times, Malfoy getting more confident with each length, when Harry noticed his kicks were slowing and his belly beginning to sink. "Getting tired?"

"No." Malfoy sped his kicks up again.

"It’s okay, you know. You’re asking your body to do something it’s never done before."

"I’m fine, Potter." Malfoy was looking straight ahead, but he was breathing deeply.

"Alright. Stop at the end, though." They stopped at the deep end, and Harry disguised the fact that he was letting Malfoy have a rest by explaining the next progression. "This time, I want you to put your face in the water and blow bubbles. When you need to take a breath, turn your head to the side, don’t lift it up. Swimming with your face in the water will become your default position, because it is more streamlined so you will go faster; so it’s good to get into the habit early. Ready?" Harry noticed that Malfoy looked a little apprehensive about putting his face in, but decided that if he wasn’t going to vocalise it, then Harry would ignore it. Making a big deal of these things wasn’t a good idea, in his experience. "Let’s go."

Harry watched as Malfoy swam with his face in, tentatively at first, but getting more confident as he got used to the sensation. The only sign of his nervousness and tiredness was the noisy exhales and inhales as he turned his head to the side, just as Harry had instructed. When they reached the shallow end, Harry took Malfoy’s floats from him. "Let’s call it a day, yeah?" They’d only been in the pool an hour, but Harry recognised Malfoy was tired, even though he wasn’t admitting it. Training when tired just led to poor technique.

Putting all their equipment on the side, he pushed himself up with his arms and climbed out the pool. He watched as Draco walked to the steps and climbed out rather more elegantly. "Go and get showered, okay? I’ll tidy up here." Malfoy nodded and walked towards the changing room. Harry watched him walk away. He was one good looking man. Harry hurriedly piled the floats and woggles in the store cupboard and went to get dressed. He wanted to get home and think this through and make a plan that wouldn’t result in them both getting fired.

Harry methodically showered and dressed, trying hard not to look at Malfoy as he did the same. He was just sitting down and putting his socks on when he felt Malfoy hovering near him. Draco was dressed, and had his bag slung over his shoulder, but his hands were shoved in his pockets and he wasn’t making eye contact. "Er, Potter?"

"Yeah?" Harry looked up at him.

"I’d appreciate it if you, er, could keep this to just us." Harry was surprised to hear Malfoy stumbling over his words. He was normally so articulate, even under pressure. Harry realised just how much of a big deal this was to him.

"Yeah. Don’t worry." Harry nodded. "Same time tomorrow, okay?" Malfoy nodded and headed towards the exit. "Hang on. I need to let you out." Harry rummaged around in his bag for the keys, pulling out his car keys at the same time. He’d had passed his driver’s test a couple of years ago. It was coming in especially handy now he wasn’t allowed to Floo or Apparate because of his magical exhaustion.

Harry locked the doors of the building closed behind him. "See you tomorrow, then?"

Malfoy nodded, and strode quickly round the corner to Apparate.

~*~

Harry threw his wet trunks and towel in the washing machine and turned the kettle. Then he grabbed a piece of parchment from his desk and penned a quick letter.

Neville,

Please tell me your committee has decided on the format for the swimming races? Things have (inevitably) got more complex and I could really do with knowing what I’m aiming for here.

Have fun with pupils and plants,

Harry.

When he had called his owl to deliver the note to Hogwarts, he searched through his bookcases, looking for the file he had put together when he was training. He made a cup of tea and sat down with a stack of parchment and a determination to make a plan.

~*~

Harry had reread his notes and books on teaching beginners and planned out the next week of sessions when his stomach growled. He decided there was nothing more he could do until their next training session and went to make some lunch.

~*~

He was sitting on his sofa watching a film when his owl flew in and landed on his shoulder, tickling his ear with the parchment scroll attached to his leg. Harry paused his DVD player and took the letter.

Harry,

Our next planning meeting is tomorrow evening so I will try and make sure we pin down a format for the swimming then.

Complex how?

Pupils and plants are in turns annoying and soothing, as always.

Neville.

Harry sighed. He really needed to know what he and Malfoy were trying to work towards. He had already decided to just avoid learning Butterfly - it was hard going for a beginner, and if they had to do it in a medley he could do it, and concentrate on getting Malfoy’s front and back crawl to a fast speed. He was torn - he firmly believed that learning good technique was the most important element of learning to swim, but they had two months to get Malfoy fast enough to not embarrass Kingsley and himself, and that was not a lot of time. He’d reluctantly given up all thoughts of trying to win, and instead was aiming for not coming last. Although thinking about how competitive Malfoy had been at school and in Auror Training, it was probably not a good idea to share his defeatist attitude.

Harry got up off the sofa and went to grab his sports bag from where he’d dropped it by the washing machine. He should probably go to the gym. Seeing as they had said swimming was in teams of two, there were probably going to be medleys or relays. The least he could do was make sure he was as fast as he could be - maybe that would go some way to trying to stop them coming last.

~*~

Harry arrived at the swimming pool before Draco again the next morning. He breathed in the crisp spring air deeply, wanting to clear his muzzy head. His sleep had been disturbed by dreams about teaching Draco - in one he had refused to get in the pool, in another he had got in for the race on the sports day and sank and though Harry was swimming down after him he could never quite catch him. Then the scene had changed to the lake at Hogwarts and they were being chased by the partially transfigured shark-headed Krum but still Harry could not catch Draco. That dream had woken him up, breathing heavily as if he had been swimming under water. He had not been able to get back to sleep after it, and so had been awake since five, watching early morning telly and rereading his lesson plans.

Malfoy came round the corner from the secluded spot where he could Apparate in unobserved. "Morning, Potter." He seemed chirpy and determined.

"Morning." Harry unlocked the door and went first into the changing room. He quickly stripped down and put his trunks on, trying not to be distracted by Draco’s nakedness. "I’ll just get your floats and stuff. When you’re ready, get in. I just want to do a couple of lengths before we start." Harry was looking forward to getting into the pool, hoping that the cool water would clear his head and wake him up. He deposited floats and woggles on the side for Malfoy, and dived into the water.

After he’d swum a couple of lengths, he joined Draco in the shallow end where he was tentatively swimming a width with a float out in front of him. Harry watched him, pleased to note that he was kicking with a nice straight leg. He had sometimes taught children for months before they got the hang of not bending their knees when kicking, and was relieved that Malfoy seemed to have grasped the importance of not doing this straight away. When Draco stood up at the end of the width and went to turn round and start again, Harry interrupted.

"We’re going to try on your back today, so swap your float for a woggle." He reached for one for himself, and passed another to Malfoy. "Put it behind you, like this," Harry held the woggle under his arms, holding on to an end with each hand, "and just lie back in the water. Like on your front, you need to be flat, but we’re going to start with a woggle so you get used to the sensation."

Draco copied Harry and positioned the woggle behind him. He stood up in the water, but turned his head to look behind him. Harry thought he looked nervous. "Okay. No need to worry - you will float. It’ll be easier though, if you bend your knees so the water comes over your shoulders. Then just lie back, and let your legs float up."

Malfoy bent down in the water, but seemed reluctant to do anything else. His fingers were leaving indents in the soft foam of the woggle. Harry pushed his own woggle away and went to stand behind Draco’s head. He knelt down in the water and reached round to put his hands next to Draco’s on the foam. "Just lie back. I’m right here. Let your legs float up."

Slowly, Malfoy lifted his feet from the bottom of the pool and lay down backwards, his shoulders resting on the woggle. "That’s it! Now, use your abs to lift your stomach and bum up towards the ceiling. They should be just underneath the surface of the water." Harry watched as Draco shifted in the water so his torso was straight. "Brilliant!" Harry looked down at Draco’s face. He was smiling. Something in Harry’s stomach flipped to see the look of pleased accomplishment on his face. "Good. Now stay like that, while I explain what’s next. We’re going to start swimming on your back, kicking your legs just like on your front. You’re going to swap the woggle for a float, because you need to lie completely back with your ears in the water, and that’s easier with a float. Okay?"

Malfoy nodded, and stood up, pushing the woggle away. Harry passed him a float. "Two hands round it, holding it to your tummy like a teddy bear." Harry demonstrated. At Draco’s raised eyebrow, he blushed. "I told you, I can’t help it! I go in to swimming teacher mode and these phrases just trip out automatically!"

"Whatever, Potter." Draco put his float on his stomach and wrapped his arms around it. "I’m holding my float like a teddy bear" he mimicked, "now what?"

Harry grinned, pleased Draco was speaking again. His silence throughout their sessions was freaking him out a bit. "Now you lie back down, ears in the water, look at the ceiling, kick your legs." With only a little reluctance Draco lay down, holding the float tightly. "Relax and kick your legs." Draco moved a couple of metres through the water, his nervousness evident in the tenseness of his muscles. "Tummy up! Use your muscles to lift your tummy up!" Malfoy pushed his stomach up towards the ceiling, but Harry noticed the mutinous set of his jaw. He supposed he probably wouldn’t like it if Malfoy had to teach him to do something.

By the time they’d done a couple of lengths, Malfoy had relaxed and he was moving faster through the water as a result. Harry decided to push forwards. "Ok, good, stop." Draco stood up in the shallow end. "Now without a float. Hands by your side, like a…" Harry caught himself just in time. "Hands resting by your sides, legs kicking."

Malfoy confidently lay down in the water and started swimming. Harry smiled. They were moving much faster than he had even hoped. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a disaster after all.

When Harry looked at the clock, he was surprised to see it was half past nine. Time had gone quickly, and Malfoy was swimming lengths on his front and back. Tomorrow, he decided, they were going to add arm movements into the mix. But for now, a new challenge. When they reached the deep end again, Harry stopped Draco before he could start a new length. "Right. Entering the water. Eventually, I’m going to teach you to dive, because that’s the best racing start. But for now, we’re going to learn to jump."

"I know how to jump. I’m not an idiot, Potter." Draco was frowning.

"I know you know how to jump. If you want to be pedantic, then I suppose you are learning how to land. Better?" Draco nodded, but his face still looked unhappy.

Harry looked at Draco, assessing him. He was clutching on to the bar. "Okay, actually, a small amendment. We’re going to learn to tread water - that is to remain upright and stationary with your head above the water." Harry moved away from the bar. "It is very simple. Small circles with your arms, about six inches under the water." Harry demonstrated. "And you have choice about what you do with your legs. Can you ride a bicycle?"

Draco looked incredulous. "I’m a wizard. Why would I ride a bicycle?"

"Because it’s fun?" The look on Draco’s face indicated that was not a good enough reason. "Okay, fair enough. In that case, circles with your legs, too. With your legs together, bend your knees and bring your heels up to your bottom. Then push round in a circle." Harry lay back in the water and brought his legs up to the surface, and demonstrated.

"Why, Potter, do you spread your legs that easily for everyone?" Draco’s trademark smirk was on full display.

"Only for you, Malfoy, only for you." Harry winked, but he had a feeling that in his heart of hearts he wasn’t entirely joking. "Now, you try."

Draco seemed unsure about it, and only let go of the bar with one hand. "That’s good. Hold on with one hand until you feel more confident."

As predicted, that made Draco let go of the bar. Harry tried not to grin at that or at Draco’s facial expressions as he flailed slightly in the water, before getting the hang of it. "Brilliant. That’s really good. Keep going." Harry watched as Draco lost his rhythm slightly and his chin dipped below the surface. "Chin above the water - this is all about staying relaxed." Harry treadd water opposite Draco for a little while, before deciding that he seemed to have got it.

"Okay, let’s jump. A straight feet-first jump to begin with. Once you hit the water, don’t fight it. Your body will go down until your buoyancy overcomes the momentum from your jump, at which point you’ll float back up. Don’t move, don’t fight. Just let it happen. When you reach the surface, tread water - like we’ve just been doing. Okay?"

Draco nodded. "Out you climb - stand on the side, toes over the edge. Look straight ahead and jump out. Go whenever you’re ready."

Harry swam backwards a couple of metres, and watched Draco. He kept bending his knees, as if to jump, before straightening up at the last minute. He looked down at the water. "Don’t look at the water!" Harry raised his voice. "Look straight ahead, and just jump!"

Again Draco bent his knees before straightening up. Harry sighed. He hated this part. Without fail, everyone he had taught had loved jumping in, once they had done it the first time. But nothing he said would ever make them jump. They had to do it by themselves. He kept treading water lazily and watching Draco.

Finally, with a determined shake of his head, Draco bent his knees and jumped in. He did exactly as he was told and allowed himself to float back up to the surface without forcing it. He popped back up with a gasp. "That was so much fun!"

Harry laughed, relieved. "I know, right?! Want to go again?" Draco nodded and kicked his legs to the side. Harry was pleased to note that he instinctively made doggy-paddle style movements with his arms, and didn’t panic about swimming unaided. Maybe there was hope for this ridiculous endeavour yet.

~*~

"Potter?" Draco had spent the rest of their session jumping into the water like an excitable child. It was rather adorable, Harry had thought.

"Mmmm?" Harry’s back was turned and he was pulling on his jeans. He turned round to face Draco, who was standing shirtless and drying his hair.

"Why aren’t you making a big deal of this?" Draco did not meet his eye as he asked his question.

Harry pulled his t-shirt over his head and thought about it. "I suppose because making a big deal of stuff is never a good idea for a swimming teacher. I mean, if a kid is scared of water and their teacher makes a fuss, then all you’re doing is compounding their fear. The same goes if they slip under or something. If you make a big deal of it, kids make a big deal of it." Harry looked at Draco’s face, and amended what he was saying. "I know you’re not a kid, Draco. But that’s how I was taught, and I teach kids far more that I teach adults. What I am saying, in a manner of speaking, is that what would I have achieved by making a fuss out of this? It would have in no way aided my teaching, or your learning."

Malfoy had looked up during his speech, and nodded. "I get that. But it’s, y’know… us."

Harry grinned. He was ridiculously happy to know that Malfoy thought of them as an ‘us’ even if it was just in this one very specific context. "I know, it’s ‘us’. But not everything between us has to be a massive deal, does it? I mean, we’ve got along pretty well these past two days, and we have been civil since training."

Draco nodded again. "It’s a little bit fun working with you. And I thought our entire civility rested on us not spending any time together." He smiled, to show he didn’t mean the words as an insult.

"Yeah. We can spend time together. Who knew?" Harry bent down and tied his shoes. "You know, er, if you wanted, we could spend more time together. I dunno about you, but I am going to be really bored of being off work in about a week. We could hang out or something." Harry’s heart sped up and his mouth went dry. He had no idea if he was asking Draco to hang out as friends or more than friends. He hadn’t even decided if he was going to act on his stupid crush on Malfoy. That had just sort of slipped out. What if Malfoy thought he was asking him on a date? Was he asking him on a date?

Draco interrupted his frenzied internal monologue. "Yeah. I’d like that. Maybe next week?" He smiled, ruefully. "Mother is taking full advantage of my afternoons off to force me into finally sorting out all my childhood stuff that’s still at the Manor." Draco rolled his eyes, showing clearly what he thought of that. "But I should be done by the end of this week."

Harry smiled. "Yeah. Alright." He unlocked the front door for Malfoy and locked it behind them. "Tomorrow, yeah?"

"See you tomorrow, Harry." Draco walked away and Harry grinned at his retreating back. Maybe this wasn’t going to be a complete disaster.

~*~

This was a complete disaster. "You’re still not lifting your arm fully. Start again."

Draco pursed his lips but walked back to the wall, and pushed off again. It was the second week of training, and they had progressed to learning the arm movement techniques for front crawl and back crawl. Malfoy was doing astonishingly well by anyone’s standards, but Harry knew he had to keep pushing and he had to get his technique right now, otherwise it would be hell to try and correct it later.

He stopped Malfoy again. "You’re still not lifting your elbow. Watch." Harry demonstrated the arm movement from his standing position.

"That’s what I’m doing, Potter."

"No, it isn’t. You’re exiting the water with a straight arm and flinging it over the top. Your elbow exits first, with your hand at your hip." Harry demonstrated again as he talked.

"Yes, I am." Malfoy had straightened up in the water and was holding his float protectively against his chest.

"I’m sorry, Malfoy, but you’re not. Try again."

Malfoy turned round and walked to the wall. How he managed to do so in a haughty manner while wading through water Harry was yet to establish. He pushed off again. Harry watched him do several strokes, still incorrectly.

"Stop. Watch. Listen." Harry was getting frustrated with his own inability to communicate the technique properly.

"Dammit, Potter, I am not a bloody child! I am doing everything you ask me to do, but you still say I’m doing it wrong! This is ridiculous." He threw his float and it bounced off the wall and landed on the poolside. "Why does it always have to be you?"

"What?" Harry genuinely did not follow this twist of Draco’s logic. Malfoy’s face was red and his voice got even louder, echoing round the pool. "It is always bloody you who sees me at my worst! This is ridiculous and there is no way we can ever do this and it is stupid and I am bloody leaving!"

Draco waded furiously over to the nearest steps and climbed out. He stalked towards the changing rooms, rage radiating from his tense posture. Harry watched him, bewildered. He had no idea what had just happened.

~*~

The next morning, Harry waited in their usual meeting place for fifty minutes before he decided Draco wasn’t going to come. He figured he ought to use the pool, as Kingsley was paying for it, and went in to get changed.

As he swam, he kept thinking over what Draco had said about it always being him who saw Draco at his worst. He had thought Malfoy was just frustrated about not being able to get the hang of the arm movement, so that had completely thrown him. He’d been thinking about it all day yesterday and still hadn’t figured out what it meant. He felt his own technique getting poorer as he got more tired, exhausted by working out his frustrations with Draco through the water. He climbed out, annoyed with himself for clearly managing to enrage Malfoy without even realising that he’d done it, and angry with Draco for not turning up today. Regardless of what happened, this was an assignment set by Kingsley and he couldn’t just not turn up. Harry knew that if he didn’t turn up tomorrow morning he would have to tell Shacklebolt. That would be fun.

Part II